Thursday October 22 8pm EST and will re-air at 11PM. If you miss it tomorrow night, Oct. 25th a 2am and 11am and then on the 29th at 4pm.

Get inside the famous House of Porsche and see how they create the Porsche 911, one of the most influential and recognizable vehicles in the world. Every distinctive element is manufactured at the Zuffenhausen factory in Stuttgart, Germany, a historical industrial monument. We’ll examine the Porsche factory’s innovative system of lifts, elevators and bridges, which conveys car bodies 50 feet above a public highway.

Porsche facts:

Rolling off the assembly line and taking the world by storm in 1964, the Porsche 911 is now one of the world’s iconic sports cars. From the modest 911 Carerra with a top track speed of 185 mph to the 911 GT3, a street legal racecar that tops out at 194 mph. This Ultimate Factory can offer a color, style, and speed for even the most fastidious driver.

At least two-thirds of the approximate one million Porsche sports cars built in the last 50 years are still being driven.

The 911 Turbo was the world’s first production sports car to feature an exhaust turbocharger and a pressure regulator.

The 911 Porsches have an ignition switch between the steering wheel and the driver’s side door, which allows drivers to switch the engine on and put the car into first gear simultaneously.

An electric, lithium-ion powered Porsche 911 is being designed by German tuning haus Ruf, which will have a ten-hour charge to power the car for 155 to 200 miles.

The Panamera, Porsche’s new four-door sedan, is available as an eight-cylinder with the option of either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. A six-cylinder model and hybrid version of the Panamera will be released in the future.

Porsche recently released a two-and-half-hour documentary DVD on the company’s history. The film covers the very early days of the Ferdinard Porsche and gives details of the history of the German car maker decade to decade.

J.D. Power US market research institute awarded Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG first place for the fifth time in a row for brand ranking for automotive performance, execution, and layout.

Porsche racers have won the Le Mans 24 Hours race 16 times and the Targa Florio and Paris-Dakar race multiple times. The Formula 1 World Championship was won three times using Porsche engines.

The engineers of Porsche have designed many non-automotive items including Olympic winning bobsleds, off-road electric wheelchairs, barbeques, and hospital beds.

Volkswagen and Porsche released the VW-Porsche 914 in 1969 and sold it collaboratively. The car’s engine was located in the middle of the vehicle to improve the car’s weight distribution.

- Ultimate Factories | National Geographic Channel

Related posts:

1. Porsche of America sales analysis for july 2009

You're reading Reminder: Porsche on Nat Geo’s Ultimate Factories originally posted on oneighturbo.com. If you've enjoyed this article, be sure and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.

Damn good!

AWOL on Facebook

- Speedhunters

Related posts:

1. DuB BITCH VW Eos as seen on dubkorps

You're reading AWOL – The Teaser from wagenwerks and DubKorps originally posted on oneighturbo.com. If you've enjoyed this article, be sure and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.

Volkswagen is considering bringing the Polo to the United States.

This is HUGE! I know soooo many that would love to have and purchase this vehicle. Bring us the Polo GTI!!!!

The space up! blue would fit perfectly in our driveway!

Maybe Winterkorn should ask his drivers, enthusiast etc!

‘We are deliberating whether to launch smaller models than the Golf in the US market,’ Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn said in an interview with Handelsblatt at the Detroit auto show.

This is the automaker’s first consideration of models smaller than the Golf in the US.

Winterkorn said: ‘I will ask the question this week when I meet with our 600 dealers in the US: ‘Do you need the VW Polo?”

The planned model based on the VW concept Space Up could also go to the US market, he said.

More carmakers are introducing smaller models in the U.S. Earlier this week, Ford said it would introduce a hatchback variant of the next-generation Fiesta small car in the U.S. in 2010. The model is set to debut in Europe and Asia this year.

BMW had its U.S. debut of its 1 series entry-premium car at the Detroit auto show, and General Motors is set to launch the Opel Astra as a Saturn brand in the U.S. Daimler also launched its Smart ForTwo microcar in the U.S.

Experts see a growing U.S potential for small cars because of rising gasoline prices and greater environmental awareness. Last year this segment was one of the few to growth in the U.S.

- Automotive News Europe

Technorati Tags:
space up!, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Polo

Related posts:

1. VW Polo BlueMotion

You're reading VW may sell Polo in the U.S. originally posted on oneighturbo.com. If you've enjoyed this article, be sure and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.

One can only dream.. or hopes that Santa drops one off!

Technorati Tags:
Audi, Audi RS6 Avant

Related posts:

1. 2008 Detroit Show: VW Confirms Passat Coupe Will Make Debut

You're reading Audi RS6 Avant 2008 Promotional video originally posted on oneighturbo.com. If you've enjoyed this article, be sure and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.

Hoping for a stronger press release on this… all I hope for is a honest, for the customer/enthusiast interest conclusion. I hope the boards do not turn this into a mess.

Wolfsburg, 23 October 2007 – The Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft has acknowledged the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Communities concerning the Volkswagen Law. According to this judgment, the Volkswagen Law restricts the free movement of capital.

Volkswagen will thoroughly examine the ruling and possible consequences for the Company, particularly with regard to the impact on the Articles of Association. The Board of Management has always emphasized that its actions are oriented to the sustainable development of the Company while giving appropriate consideration to the interests of all stakeholders.

The Board of Management is of the opinion that the shareholdings of Porsche AG and the State of Lower Saxony form a solid basis for the continuation of the successful work so far.

- VW Media Services

Technorati Tags: VW, Volkswagen, Porsche, European Court of Justice, oneighturbo

Related posts:

1. Porsche welcomes EJC’s decisions for VW takeover

You're reading Volkswagen’s Statement on the judgement of the ECJ originally posted on oneighturbo.com. If you've enjoyed this article, be sure and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.

and so it begins… I just hope this is the right thing to do.

The mid-engined VW-Porsche 914 was unveiled at the 1969 Frankfurt
Motor Show. The 914/4 had the VW 411 1.7 engine and the 914/6 the
Porsche 911T 2.0 engine. Both utilized Porsche and VW components,
bodywork by Karmann. Source: 1302

Luxembourg/Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, welcomes the judgement of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg according to which the limitation of voting rights to a maximum of 20 percent by the Volkswagen Act is incompatible with EU law. „With a voting interest of just above 30 percent in Volkswagen we obviously have a high interest in exercising our voting rights in full,“ said Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking, Chief Executive Officer of Porsche in a first reaction to the ruling.

The ECJ further ruled that the right granted to the Federal Republic of Germany and the Land of Lower Saxony by the Volkswagen Act to each appoint two members to the supervisory board of Volkswagen as long as they hold more than one share in Volkswagen also violates EU law. As a result, in the future the generally applicable statutory rules will apply to Volkswagen, according to which the shareholders’ representatives in the supervisory board are elected by the General Meeting.

The ECJ also held that the increase of the majority requirement for structural measures from 75 percent to more than 80 percent of the voting shares pursuant to the Volkswagen Act violates applicable EU law. With its judgement the ECJ followed the opinion of the European Commission, according to which key elements of the Volkswagen Act are incompatible with the free movement of capital.

Porsche accepts that the Land of Lower Saxony is appropriately represented on the supervisory board of Volkswagen in accordance with its shareholding. The Porsche representatives on the supervisory board, Chief Executive Officer Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking and Chief Financial Officer Holger Härter, would welcome if the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Christian Wulff, and his colleague, Minister for Economics Walter Hirche, continued to be members of the supervisory board of the Wolfsburg-based car manufacturer. This would ensure the required continuity of the cooperation based on a spirit of mutual trust.

- Porsche

Technorati Tags: VW, Volkswagen, Porsche, European Court of Justice, oneighturbo

Related posts:

1. Porsche finishes mandatory offer

You're reading Porsche welcomes EJC’s decisions for VW takeover originally posted on oneighturbo.com. If you've enjoyed this article, be sure and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.

Interesting concept here. The product design and UI could use a ton of help but having a unit plug directly into your vehicle is kinda cool. Doesn’t seem like it could do more than that of bluetooth in terms of phone aspects but if it could allow you to diagnostics like a VAG-COM, that would rock! The feature list sounds great!

It definetly needs more of an award winning, Audi interior feel. I’m not saying it’s fake but it just doesn’t seem like it came from Audi’s design team.

Oh, and just because it’s got a similar CoverFlow function/look doesn’t mean it’s obviously stolen. Apple purchased the company that made that in the first place.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Audi metroproject concept was the the iPhone-like device that slots inside the dash. Imaginatively titled the “Audi mobile device,” it functions as an access authorization system for the vehicle, mobile phone, navigation unit and audio and video player all in one. The menu is modeled on the Audi MMI interface used inside high-spec Audi models.

Equipped with both Wi-Fi and 3G UMTS technology, the Audi phone allows the driver to interface with the car and use the device as a MP3 player or input tool for the nav system. It can even be used to turn on the vehicle’s heating systems before you leave your house, making cold mornings a little more bearable. You won’t have to fumble for your keys in the cold either, as the phone can open and close the car for you.

The touch-sensitive screen is capable of recognizing both Latin and Japanese characters, and is even able to decipher handwriting. As if the device wasn’t already on your wish-list, it can also store images taken by your Audi’s on-board cameras, so your car can snap pics of a would-be intruder and send you a mugshot via the wireless connection. Then it will switch on the car’s tracker to keep you apprised of the car’s location. Yep, it’s a LoJack too.

With an interface obviously stolen derived from the Apple iPhone (check out the cover-flow style album art if you don’t agree with us), the Audi mobile device has just four main softkeys for accessing all the main features. Though it was released as a concept only, we can see carmakers developing such devices in the future as automotive electronics systems keep advancing. Pretty soon, it won’t be the key that lets people know what you drive, it’ll be your phone.

- Motor Authority

Technorati Tags: Audi, iPhone, Motor Authority, oneighturbo

Related posts:

1. Audi.tv goes on air

You're reading Audi creates phone originally posted on oneighturbo.com. If you've enjoyed this article, be sure and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.

Talk about sucking. I respect BMW as a car but theres always something about their drivers (not all) and arrogance. The comments that these guys over at Brecht BMW in San Diego and the follow up via BMW NA was just appalling. Now I’m not calling this dealership out as I’m sure all manufacturers have this one time or another.

Personally, if I was at the dealership and saw a sales person treating a mother with her kids like this, he’d for sure get a piece of my mind. Man, treat another fellow human like you would like to be treated. How would you like it if your wife came home with this story.

On another note, I have a few questions for Raquel. Why did you wait til the 19th? It is not their fault if you are penalized for being late.. Live 45 miles away? I don’t get it. Did you have someone there with you waiting to take you home. If you were dropping the car and leaving, wouldn’t you be car-less? with kids? Why didn’t you plan on taking it back to Irvine?

In the end, the treatment she received was not called for at all. Procrastination does not help you in the end. I hope she went back to VW and picked out a nice Jetta or Passat Wagon! and yes BMW sucks either way!

Poor Raquel. She only wanted to return her leased BMW. Following instructions to bring her car to any authorized dealership, she arrived at Brecht BMW in San Diego. Brecht’s manager refused to accept the car, a decision he conveyed by screaming in front of her kids, threatening to call the police, and telling her to “go back to Volkswagon” because she didn’t “deserve to own a BMW.” Raquel writes:

Read her story: – Consumerist

Related posts:

1. R32: It’s back in ’08 and more powerful than ever!

You're reading Brecht BMW Tells Customer “Go Back To Volkswagon, You Don’t Deserve To Own A BMW originally posted on oneighturbo.com. If you've enjoyed this article, be sure and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.

It’s time. It has been a whole flippin year but we are now into the home stretch. Petit Le Mans is 5 days away!

I have tickets for all 4 days!!! Yes, I will be out there Wed – Thurs – Fri – Sat and I will be hammering my Nikon D40.

Petit Le Mans isn’t all we have either. The Speed World Challenge races featuring STaSIS Audi A4′s, IMSA racing, Star Mazda and Panoz racing. STACKED!

If you are out there, look for my New Beetle! We will be camping too! There are a ton of VW and Audi guys heading out as well.

Event Resources:

• Guest Guide (PDF)
• Event Schedule (PDF)
• Pre Event Test Day Schedule for Team Use Only (PDF)
• Track Map (PDF)
• Please Read Policies

Technorati Tags: Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta, oneighturbo

Related posts:

1. Audi targets eighth straight Petit Le Mans win

You're reading Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta originally posted on oneighturbo.com. If you've enjoyed this article, be sure and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.

There are cars that endure for all times. They are icons of their type, masterpieces of craftsmanship and technology; they put ideas into motion, make progress tangible and sometimes quite simply make everyday life better, more practical and enjoyable. Many of these cars carry the VW logo. “Bug, Beetle, New Beetle”, “T1, Bulli, Samba bus, California”, “Golf, GTI”. Now Volkswagen is presenting – as a world premiere at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt – a concept car that once again has the right stuff needed to move more than just one generation. It is a small, pure and high-spirited Volkswagen that pays tribute to its environment. The overall concept is marked by an innovative, clear, intuitive functionality. The name of the concept car: up! – a positive name that is a synonym for departure, activity, dynamics and the future. “For Volkswagen”, says Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member with Responsibility for Technical Development, “the response of IAA visitors will be a decisive test to determine whether the concept has the same kind of potential possessed by the Beetle at one time or by the Golf today.”

• Volkswagen Reinvents the Volkswagen
• World premiere: Volkswagen up! concept car with rear engine
• Multivariable: City specialist offers more space, more variability and more fun

Concept

The up! is a city specialist, a car for four persons and all languages, for the job, the university, the drive to the beach and the excursion outside the city gates. A small car that shows a lot of size, because it offers more space than any other car of similar length (3.45 meters) and width (1.63 meters). Its engine – conceivable here are all facets of technology that can be sensibly applied – will run in the rear. And that changes everything: Space, mood and design. Walter de Silva, Chief Designer of the Volkswagen group, sums it up like this: “The up! is not a car whose form will become obsolete within a very brief period of time. It shines in its cleverness and yet is made with loving care. And so the up! is a clear and strong statement for future Volkswagen design.” Furthermore, the team of designers and engineers has envisioned the up! concept car as the first member of an entire model line; other facets are entirely conceivable.

Ralf-Gerhard Willner, Director of Concept Development, has final responsibility for the technical layout of the up! He and Walter de Silva had already achieved a new balance in the mutual interaction between form and function at Volkswagen before the start of the project. “Absolute harmony of the basic technological concept and the emotional aspects of the design”, note Willner and de Silva in unison, “can only be achieved in a hard clash of ideas between engineers and designers. That is the only way to produce icons.” That is precisely why the up! is not your run-of-the-mill, small, tightly packed car, but instead is a clever, innovative whole. Its form is pure. It just had to look like this, no other look would do. There is nothing superfluous, and its functionality – and so also its design – speak for themselves. Simultaneously – and this is typical of Volkswagen – uncompromisingly attention was given to refining every line and every surface until we had created a friendly and masterful car.

Exterior design

The fact that the engine of the up! runs in the rear has a decisive influence on its exterior design. That is because the up! has no classic radiator grille. It forges links to the Beetle. This fact alone
gives it a great deal of independence. Dominant design characteristics are the headlamps that take an inward and diagonal line, between them the horizontally arranged air vents, the VW logo (as one of the few details kept in chrome), the tailgate that extends far forward and the smooth bumper with a circumferential black stripe as a detail of the “happy face” that is typical of Volkswagen.

In many areas, technology and design have melded into a vehicle architecture that is not only appealing, but is also very utilitarian. The rear end of the up! is a good example of this. The tailgate was produced using a transparent material. Under this gate developers also integrated the high layout of the taillights. Another feature that is technically and visually new is the location of the VW logo in the tailgate; it is also located behind glass and illuminates when the light is on. The rear bumper was designed to match the “happy face” in front.

The powerful appearance of the up!, despite all of its compactness, is emphasized by a very wide track width (1.42 meters) relative to vehicle width. The wheels are flush with the sporty outboard wheel arches and side skirts. The radial design of the wheels and surfaces extending right up to the edge of the rim make the 18-inch wheels appear significantly larger than they actually are.

The wheels that are arranged far outboard in the bumper areas reduce body overhangs to a minimum. All of these features are part of an unmistakable side profile with a very long roof arch as well as clear and large surfaces. Giving shape to its style here are the large doors and the lateral window surfaces, which incline sharply upward at the height of the rear wheel arch and thereby help to form the very independent C-pillar design.

Interior design

Mounting the engine in the rear opened up entirely new interior concepts. Relative to its exterior size, the space offering is exceptionally forward-thinking. The same is true of its variability: Except for the driver’s seat, all other seats can be folded and removed. Since they are designed as light shells, they can be quickly stowed in one of the cargo areas – besides the front trunk there is also one in the rear – to free up space. Afterwards, the entire passenger compartment length can be utilized as a storage area for especially bulky objects.

To achieve the high level of seating comfort that is usual at Volkswagen, besides their ergonomic design, in the case of the up! this level of comfort is also attained by a simple yet very effective trick: Similar to a self-inflating air mattress, air can be sucked out of the seat surfaces via a valve. This means that the seats can be adjusted 1:1 to the body anatomies of the occupants who have just taken a seat.

Intuitive controls

On its up! concept car, Volkswagen is presenting some completely new solutions when it comes to operator controls. Klaus Bischoff, Chief Designer for the Volkswagen Brand, comments on this: “Another reason the up! is so fascinating is because everything, every detail, was thought out anew. In the interior we have a touchscreen with new proximity sensor technology for controlling the navigation, radio, trip computer and climate control systems. It is operated absolutely intuitively. As a result, the most complicated functions can be controlled like child’s play.”

The up! has two central displays. In the cockpit, a 8-inch monitor shows the driver key information such as vehicle speed, fuel level and range, as well as momentary CO2 emissions.

In the center of the instruments – equally easy for driver and front passenger to see and control – an 7-inch monitor shows the way that future human-machine interfaces will look and operate. Here all conceivable functions can be controlled via the mentioned touchscreen, which also reacts via proximity sensor to gestures, i.e. specific hand movements.

Menuing was restocked and reorganized so that people without computer science educations would be able to operate the system. The developers intentionally separated “display” and “control” levels from one another. Always shown on the screen is a control bar with standard functions such as climate control or audio volume control. Developers packaged functions of other higher-order systems – navigation, telephone, radio, images, movies, etc. – on a display level that has been referred to internally as the “main menu carousel” – a type of virtual carousel. It consists of the icons of different system functions (telephone, navigation, etc.). When the user touches the “main menu carousel” it can be rotated by touchscreen. Visually, this control is just as spectacular as it is intuitive. When the desired function appears on the main menu carousel – such as the telephone – all the user needs to do is move his or her hand to the display to switch over to the telephone menu, thanks to proximity sensor technology. The new type of user control is fun, easy to understand in any cultural environment and very safe. That is precisely what is typical of Volkswagen.

Technorati Tags: VW, Volkswagen, Volkswagen up!, Walter de Silva, Klaus Bischoff, oneighturbo, IAA Frankfurt

Related posts:

1. Volkswagen Group presents eight world premieres

You're reading World premiere: Volkswagen up! originally posted on oneighturbo.com. If you've enjoyed this article, be sure and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.